#9: The Flipside of Harsh Punishment
This entire debate brought forward the different understandings people have surrounding the idea of punishment and the appropriate ways to discipline children. Just because something might have been considered normal for a long time doesn’t mean that it needs to stay that way, especially if it seems outdated.
Physiologist Maryhan Baker, who has worked with parents for over 15 years, explains that harsh and severe punishments can lead to children not always understanding what they did wrong and oftentimes repeating the unwanted behavior. She said, “Children make choices with their behavior based on their emotions, and if you don’t seek to understand and discuss these emotions, the child ends up storing up a host of resentment and anger at the very least.”